Just got my FC
 

Hello everyone I have recently come into possession of and 87 RX7 obviously its an N/A and i plan to keep it that way no turbos for me. But I do plan on modding it. The car is going to be a daily driver. and so here is the mod list but not sure on the order though im saving up so i can do things in a group fashion. So any advice on how to or switching things around will help.

1st set

Aero/CAI/Exhaust + Tune

2nd set

Brakes/Suspension/Diff

and thats how far I am right now on what I want to do.

What do you mean by suspension?

Daily driver, eh?
A new (to you) car,eh?

"Mod" should not even be in your vocabulary at this point.
What condition is the car in right now...would you be comfortable getting in and driving a thousand miles?
Does everything- up to and including the clock- work?
How extensively have you examined the car and have you laid wrenches on it yet?

Let's see some pics of your new honey.

for suspension im doing research for lower braces and a angle kit but mainly lower braces this car eventually will be used for drifitng but I want to build up to that.

^^^i wish i woulda said something like this...good points. What condition is it in now and what will it take to get into (reliable) dd status

yes this car is new to me ive never owned a mazda in my life ive been driving a hyundai for the last few years not ashamed to admit it. And im familar with the term "mod" because up till now i was saving money to mod my tiburon. But since i got my hands on the FC i decided itd be best to turn that into a project instead of current daily driver. still have to get to work. And the car is being delivered to me Sunday i already have the title. Bought it off a kid who didnt know any better and he an his friends manage to melt the ignition fuse do to a incorrect battery installation but Ive already made arrangements to have that fixed. and the car will be here Sunday will have pics then. though ill tell you now te car is in need of MAJOR TLC.

well once i get plates for it im take the car to my job to get a bettter look at it under neath and see what damage i have to work with but riht now paint is faded which is fine i plan on repainting anyway. interrior is pretty good condition for a car that has been sitting for almost 2 years. I wil be overhauling te engine though. so I'm not tworried, about thatits missing the L side daytime lens and light bulb headlights still work and when you do some jimmy rigging the the car starts still sounds strong to. Im trying to cover all my bases cause i want to do this right when re building this thing.

OP, I hope you have a lot of money.

these endeavors of mine will be done spurts im bussin' my butt working over time to get money and everything ready for the first set. And im trying plan everything out as best i can. I mean aside from work ill be doing side jobs and selling a few things to help speed the process up as well.

1st set

Aero - Not needed for slow-speed events like drifting, extra weight, waste of money.

CAI - The car comes with one from the factory. If you add a ricer cone-type aftermarket "CAI" it will just suck in hot air from the radiator, reducing power.

Exhaust - This will be the best bang for the buck. I recommend either a full Racing Beat system or a Racing Beat catback, depending on how much you want to mod. If you want a louder catback, the Apexi N1 Dual with 90mm tips is a pretty good choice. See what the car has on it already before you buy anything, as it is very unlikely that it still has the original exhaust system.

Tune - The car comes with a mass airflow electronic fuel injection that will self-compensate for minor changes in engine wear and modifications. No tuning is required, so all you need to do is to make sure that all of the components are in good shape.

2nd set

Brakes - Just get a nice set of pads and use some good performance/street brake fluid like ATE Super Blue / Typ 200. The OEM solid vented rotors are fine. If you like a more solid feel, you can get DOT braided lines from Mazdatrix.

Suspension/Diff - Be sure to replace the mounts and bushings when you replace the suspension components with new parts.

A car that sat for two years is likely to have been partially neglected before then. You will probably have many more nagging issues to fix than you think you will. Your first set of expenses should be a full tune up - change all fluids, filters, spark plugs, wires, etc. All of these things should be addressed first, especially if this car is intended to be a daily driver.

Aero - I putting a kit on it, but with some modifications to the kit and weight reduction is part of my aero(I know I didn't specify that sorry) but I have found some full carbon doors for sale, I'm also researching a few other carbon parts and since you seem to know quite a bit have you ever heard of acrylic glass an the effect it can have on weight and performance.


CAI - I'm actually gonna design myself once I get the kit on ill go from there.

Exhaust - I'm thinking of HKS exhaust set up

brakes was thinking maybe a BBK for the front and braided lines.

And I'll keep that in mind for the suspension parts

Yea I've already made arrangements for the tune up for this car and I plan to do the tune before I start the project plans

If it turns out the ECU is damaged anyone know hard it is to replace

It's under the carpet in the passenger footwell.
Compared to all the other stuff you have planned, it's a trivial task.

Somewhere in all this you mentioned that you want to use this car for drifting. If that's so then you're probably looking at some rear end modifications. Replace the DTSS bushings at least.

Hit the FAQ and download the FSM, it will answer a ton of your questions, as well as searching!

As most have said, your first "mod" should be replacing all fluids and do a good tune to bring the car to a solid baseline. THEN pursue your performance ideas. Also, as DoubleJ suggested, the search button of this forum will be one of your most valuable tools as it will lead you to a treasure cove of ideas and how to's.

Order of attack I would suggest:

Intake
The stock set up is actually pretty good for NA purposes since it's designed to deliver as cool air as possible and your moving air needs are nothing near what you would with a Turbo. Most, myself included, would suggest you get a K&N drop in and be done with it.

Exhaust
I agree with "Evil" on every point above except one. Best bang for your buck would be a Racing Beat downpipe and presilencer. These should go on even before headers. The stock Y pipe might need some welding repair as they tend to break at the Y joint, but is absolutely fine otherwise. Gain from replacing the exhaust cans is negligible, at least compared to what the down pipe and presilencer will provide. Quick easy mod, and notable seat of the pants difference. But a nice shinny cat back does look pretty.

Suspension
As Evil indicated, your first project should be purchasing an Energy Suspension kit and replace all the old dried out rubber bushing with nice new Poly bushings.

Fuel Management
Do a little searching and you'll find lots of discussions on upgrades to your fuel management. From what you've shared, I'd suggest you go with an Apexi SAFC piggy back set up. To give an analogy, stock fuel management is as sophisticated as an Atari game device. You'd be upgrading to a Play Station by comparison. A smartened up computer can enable you to squeeze more HP's out of what you've got.

Drivetrane
When the time finally comes to replace your clutch, then while it's all apart would be a good time to replace the stock flywheel with something lighter so more horses can get past it to your rear wheels. Debatable which is better for you, aluminum or lightened steel. Do your own homework and decide for yourself, but I'm a Lightened Steel fan.

Fiberglass parts will work fine for weight reduction in areas that do not require the strength of carbon fiber. Acrylic is about half the weight of glass and it bends nicely as opposed to cracking when torque is applied to the frame. However, acrylic scratches and pits like crazy, so it is not a good idea for a windshield, or for other applications on cars that are driven in harsh environments. Check your local laws to make sure that acrylic is legal for driving on the street.

See this link for what a real CAI looks like. Most other designs will have no significant performance gain, and more likely a loss.
http://www.mazdatrix.com/pictures/fa.../ep01123ib.jpg

The HKS exhaust is designed for turbocharged engines, which means that it will yield less performance and more noise if used in conjunction with your NA engine. Since it sounds like you are spending a lot of money on your car, you may be interested in a nice custom 321 stainless steel exhaust system like this:
http://definedautoworks.com/prod2_1.html

Yes, you may have a point there. My intent was to convey that exhaust mods in general will usually yield the best return.

Since the suspension needs to be disassembled to install the bushings, and it is a major pain to remove some of the bushings, I would recommend installing the bushings at the same time as the new suspension components. Personally, I would not install all new bushings first, and then a few months later take it all apart again to install new coilovers, anti-sway bars, and other components.

Lol well that is good to know

thanks for advice chuck ill will check into this. Have you used DTSS bushings personally?

I will do be sure to do that. before i get off tonight.

thanks for the advice and i know the OEM intake will do it for me for the time being, especially when i give the car a full tune up. But when the time comes to for performance upgrades I will be able to explain in more detail about how I want to go about things . I will take your advice and go with the racing beat exhaust setup when the time comes for that upgrade. And when time comes for choosing a clutch I was thinking of either going with something from Exedy or Clutchmasters. But that is a long ways off for now. question though have you used both aluminum and lighten steel? If so what made you choose lightened steel?

Evil I will take your advice on the suspension upgrades.Thanks for showing me those headers I really like those to, Also custom air intake you showed wasnt quite what I expected but still interesting none the less. It gave me a bit of inside of how to when i decide to design my own.

just want to say thanks for all the feedback ,ideas and help from everyone